Last-light stand after work, blew a potential triple!

204 AR

Well-known member
The last two days have been too nice to not go out. Today I rushed home, grabbed the gear and headed to a small place about 20 miles away. The wind was right and my buddy has been seeing them around. He had 3 deer carcasses out in his pasture we figured they would be eating on.

The sun was just dipping as I grabbed the gear out of the truck. A short walk in and I was set up. I started with 2 pup howls, on Fury volume 28. Then lit up with pdog distress. I saw movement in the pdog town towards where the carcasses are, about 600 yards away. Looking through the scope revealed 3 coyotes! Wow I thought this was going to get hairy!

Long story short, they weren't coming in, they were bugging out. One hung around but kept getting further away no matter what I tried. I think they were young ones and the howl spooked them. Probably been chased off of the carcass before and didn't want' to get whipped again. Or, possibly they saw me set up, but I don't think so as they would have already been gone.

Pretty bummed but lesson learned. I'm saving howls for late season from now on. I don't want to hurt my chances on the young-uns coming in.

Anyone witness anything similar?
 
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Trust me when I say after 25 years of calling, I've seen that movie several times. I don't howl
anymore. I'm even reluctant to howl in late season. There are only so many coyotes that will respond to a howl, but all of them have to eat.
Pup whines now, are a different story.
 
Im am not a fan of howls at anytime of the year myself.
Id rather stick to innocent come & get me sounds that are not going to move/chase coyotes out of the area before they even make a showing.
 
Unless its late season I usually only howl after a good hard attempt at catching them hungry unless I know for a fact there's a dominant pair that owns that territory.
 
Interesting thoughts guys. Funny thing is there is another thread where most of the guys are pro-howling. All depends on one's perspective and experiences I guess.
 
you play this game long enough and you're going to see coyotes leaving when all you've done is play rabbit, then what will you blame the "lack of response" on? It's human nature to blame the lack of response on something, but eventually you learn that it's not always something that you did wrong.
Same with volume, guys start off loud and see coyotes leaving, so they figure why else would a coyote not come to rabbit, must've been too loud.
Sometimes they just don't come, and it may very well be nothing you did wrong. Sometimes the coyotes aren't in the mood to come, when all seems right for them to come, in our minds. Don't let it bother you, you'll get 'em next time.
 
I gave up on trying to figure out which sounds work. Last night I made a stand and did starting with vole squeaks, then grey fox distress, then I did a lone howl and here comes the lil booger charging in. Small male. Think they're ready to find a partner?
 
I'd say I open up a stand with a howl of some sort just about every time.

Depending on the time of year... I've had a bunch of success within minutes after I howl.
 
Randy Anderson says he starts every stand with an interrogation or invitation howl. He claims it doesn't hurt a thing. He also said he doesn't think you can be too loud. He has called as loud as he could trying to chase coyotes away and it didn't seem to affect them. I figure he knows what he's talking about.
 
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